Jersey Style Pizza
by Ilmare-Ilse
Summary: Mozz, sauce and dough... Maybe a little pepperoni from time to time, but never any kind of fruit! This is a place to keep the many short stories that keep coming to my head. Mostly centered on Detective Danno Williams, inspired mostly by season 3.
1. Alone in Deep Waters

A/N: Hello again! This will be a new group of stories, some inspired by Season 3 and others by any random thing that crosses my path.

This one has some spoilers for Episode 3X03, so tread carefully.

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**Alone in Deep Waters**

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This was officially a crappy day for detective Danny Williams. Sure, catching that huge Tuna fish was a little bit awesome, but, as it happened with most good things in Danny's life lately, it all went to hell in a hand basket in the blink of an eye.

From their boat being taken at gunpoint, to a shark wanting to turn them into freshly cut sashimi, to Danny being forced to share Billy's story, to the whole dead body in a boat fiasco, the day just kept better and better.

Chin's suggestion was one of the few bright spots of the day, so with Max's unguent in hand, he accepted Cath's offer for a ride back to HQ.

He didn't get a chance to try the unguent though, because he had to keep moving from the lab, to the interrogation room, to booking, because of course that the crazy shit storm that was his day would end up with the murderous wife being shot by her sister in law.

Half an hour after both Scates and Jenny Burges had been booked, and Danny was stuck filling 1001 reports. The fact that the headache he'd had tried to ignore ever since they stepped on dry land didn't want to be ignored anymore, and that the letters on the screen decided to go out of focus every few minutes was not making his work any easier at this point.

He rubbed his eyes tiredly for the 100th time, trying to avoid the red and itchy skin on his forehead. He sighed tiredly, looking at his screen again, and almost got a heart attack at the sound of a voice right next to his chair. "Hey Danno… What are you still doing here?"

"What?" Danny whirled around in his chair, his balance a little off, but his partner's hand on the arm of the chair prevented any unpleasant accidents.

"Why are you still here? We can close the paperwork on Monday, there's no reason for you to still be here…" Steve asked, looking at his friend and noticing dark shadows under his eyes and the redness of the skin on Danny's forehead and nose.

Danny was too distracted by the hot poker stabbing him between the eyes to understand what Steve was saying. "What?" He asked again, while pinching the bridge of his nose.

Steve frowned, crouching next to his dazed partner. "Hey, Danno… You okay?"

Danny blinked a couple of times, trying to get Steve's face into focus. "What?" He asked again. Hell, he was tired, and things weren't exactly making sense right now.

Steve huffed in annoyance and got to his feet, pulling Danny along with him. He carefully steered him towards the leather couch nearby and sat him down. Moving quickly to the kitchen, Steve returned with a bottle of water and a granola bar. "Alright Danny… Have you had any water since you came back to the office?" Steve asked slowly, trying to get Danny's attention.

Danny thought a minute about Steve's question. "Hmm… I think I had a cup of coffee…" Danny said, slumping on the couch and raising a hand to press his fingers against different parts of his forehead in a half hearted attempt to massage the headache away.

Steve raised his eyebrows. "A cup of coffee? Are you crazy? After almost 4 straight hours under the sun, you come back here and have a cup of coffee? You could have gotten a bad case of heat exhaustion, or even heat stroke! What were you thinking?"

Danny lowered his hand to glare at his partner. "There's A/C here at HQ, I wasn't hot anymore…"

Steve shook his head, opening the bottle of water. "Even if you were not hot, I bet you were dehydrated! You probably wouldn't feel as bad as you look right now if you had taken some water or Gatorade when you got here!" Steve grumbled, shoving the bottle at Danny.

Danny took the bottle from Steve's hand with an annoyed huff and raised it to his mouth intending to drink the whole thing in one long gulp, but before he could swallow the first drink, Steve took the bottle back. "What the hell do you want now, huh? I was going to drink your precious water!"

Steve shook his head in annoyance. "Small sips Danno! Unless you want me to spoon feed it to you? Trust me; neither of us would like you to break your streak right now…" He said, passing the bottle back to Danny.

Danny took the bottle back and started drinking the water again, this time in small sips, as his annoying partner had instructed. "I wouldn't worry so much if I were you…" Danny said, stopping to press the cold bottle against his red forehead. "My streak is long gone anyway…" He finished, with a sad sigh.

Steve looked up, surprised. "Really? When did that happen? And why didn't I know about it?" He said, with a smirk.

Danny didn't bother to remove the bottle to glare at Steve. "Believe it or not, Steven, I don't feel the compulsion to share every little detail of my existence with you, especially those related to my stomach deciding to rebel on its master…" He lowered both the bottle and his eyes, finding the label on the bottle a most interesting sight. "I… I broke my streak the night after Rick took Grace…" He finished in a low voice.

Steve sighed sadly, moving to sit next to his partner. "Alright, Danno, sorry I asked… Drink your water, and then I'll drive you home, ok?"

Danny raised the bottle to his mouth again, taking small sips as Steve had instructed. Apparently his partner had been right, because his head had started to feel clearer, even if the headache was still there. "You can go home, babe… There's not much more paperwork left to do anyway, and I might as well get it over with now…" He said with a shrug. The truth was that the last thing he wanted to do right now was going back to his small apartment and spend the rest of the weekend alone, doing nothing, that's not how this weekend was supposed to go.

Steve raised his arm and placed it over Danny's shoulders. "Come on, Danno… What if we go to my place, have some beers, and throw some steaks to the fire… I know that our trip didn't go as planned, but we can still hang out on dry land, right?"

Danny finished the water and just let the bottle drop to the floor. He pressed the heel of his hand against his eye socket, trying to will his headache away. The truth was that not only their trip hadn't gone as planned, but the whole weekend. Grace was supposed to be with him this weekend, and they were supposed to go to the zoo, and some new water park that she was dying to visit, but a sleepover at a friend's house had Grace calling him to beg off the weekend, and Danny couldn't deny her that.

The reason why the badly planned sailing trip happened at all was that Danny just happened to be within the Super SEAL earshot, so he had made it his personal mission to keep Danny from wallowing too much in his own misery. That's how they had found themselves in that floating death trap, and how he'd ended rehashing the reasons why he hated the sea so damn much.

Something Steve had said suddenly clicked in Danny's brain, so he turned to look at his friend. "Beers… You've been bugging me to drink water and now you're inviting me over for some beers?"

Steve shrugged. "Well, you can have a couple more bottles of water, and then you can have a beer… What do you say?"

Danny leaned forward, burying his face in his hands. "I'm tired Steve… I'm tired of this place, I'm tired of trouble following me everywhere, I'm tired of having to fight for every little minute with my baby girl, I'm tired of the sea and the pineapples, I'm tired of being alone all the time… I'm tired of losing the people I love because of my mistakes… I'm tired, Steve…" He suddenly seemed to realize what he had said, and more importantly to whom he had said it and turned to apologize to his partner. "Shit! Steve… I'm sorry… My problems are nothing compared to… I'm sorry, babe…" Danny said, shaking his head and lifting bloodshot eyes to his friend's face.

Steve squeezed Danny's shoulder, lifting his other hand to stop his friend's apology. "You're not alone, Danny…" He said, completely disregarding the apology as unnecessary.

Danny gave a tired chuckle. "I didn't see anyone at the marina waiting to see if a shark had eaten me or not…"

Steve shook Danny's shoulder in annoyance. "Don't be stupid, Danno… You know that there are plenty of people that would care if you became fish bait. I know I would care, and I promise to be there waiting to give you a hug the next time you almost get eaten by a shark…" That got a soft chuckle out of the blond man sitting next to Steve. "Come on… You've had a crappy day, you had your worst fears coming back to haunt you and you still managed to mostly keep it together… You deserve a break! Come over to my place, we can hang out for a few hours, you can crash there and tomorrow we can call the team, even take your massive Tuni fish to Kamekona and see what he can do with it… What do you say?"

Danny thought about it for a minute. He could really use his family right now, but other than Gracie, Steve and the rest of the Ohana sounded like the best next thing. "Alright, lead the way, Super SEAL…" Danny said with a smile, moving to stand up from his place on the couch.

Steve stood as well, but instead of moving to the door, he placed his arm around Danny's shoulder, propelling him forward. "We're going together, Danno…"

Danny moved towards the door with a smile on his face. Yeah… If there was one certain thing in his life, and it was that Steve would never leave him alone. Sometimes he was not entirely sure if that was a good thing though…

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The End

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A/N: Well, thank you for reading, I hope you liked this story and I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!

See you around!


	2. Enough Tuna for all

A/N: Hello again! I'm not sure if this one has spoilers or not, but it's meant to come after the end of 3X04, so be warned!

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**Enough Tuna for all**

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After a relatively nice meal at Kamekona's, everyone was ready to head home.

Steve, Catherine and Doris were going back to Steve's place to spend an unpleasant and awkward family evening, Kono and Chin were planning to hang out at Kono's place and Danny had a meeting with his lawyer.

Since it was time to go, everyone started reaching for their wallets. As usual, Steve patted his pockets and came up empty handed, so he turned to his partner with a shrug. "Sorry Danno, I left my wallet in my other pants… Next time's on me, ok?"

Danny sighed but gave a resigned nod. "Sure… Next time…" He said with an eye roll.

On hearing Danny was buying, both Chin and Kono grinned happily. "That's so nice of you, Brah!" Kono said, patting Danny's hand.

Chin, in turn squeezed Danny's shoulder. "Very kind indeed… Next time is on me, ok? After Steve's turn, of course!" He said with a big smile.

Danny rolled his eyes good naturedly, for once not caring about having to pay the tab, again, since Chin was smiling again, and that was worth much more than a shrimp meal. "Yeah, yeah… Steven over here seems to have short term memory issues when it comes to his wallet, so I'm guessing we'll be waiting for the new millennium before he buys…" He stood up with a smile, taking the check and moving back to Kamekona's truck.

* * *

Kamekona was just finishing plating some steaming garlic shrimp and smiled at seeing Danny with the check on his hand. "Well, little Haole, come to pay for my services? That's for me the best part of your meal!"

Danny winced slightly, but chuckled anyway. He moved closer to the big man, speaking softly. "Listen, Big Man… I'm paying for the meal, but I'm a little short on cash at the moment, and my credit card is a bit overstressed…"

Kamekona raised his eyebrows. "Why don't they pay, if you're short on _kala_?" He asked, looking at the rest of the team.

Danny crossed his arms in front of his chest in a defensive gesture. "Supposing that's what you're saying, I'm not short on money… It's just that my rent is due next week and I have to pay for my lawyer today, and Grace needs some arts stuff for school and wants me to go buy it with her this weekend, so I just want to make sure that I have enough for those things… About the rest of them, everyone else seems to have forgotten their wallets, as usual…" He said with a shrug. "I'll pay you next week, maybe the week after, but I'm not short on cash, just a little cautious…"

Kamekona studied Danny for a minute and then took the check for him. "Alright brudda, I'll start a tab for you…" He said with a nod of his head.

Danny smiled, relieved. "Thank you babe… Just… don't tell them about it, ok? Don't want them to worry over nothing…" Danny said, glancing at his team, still sitting at the table.

At Kamekona's nod, Danny checked his watch and moved away. "Thanks again, my man… Gotta go, I have an appointment in 15 minutes! See you around!" And with a quick wave, Danny moved to his car and was gone.

* * *

Kamekona looked at the table and with a sad shake of his head moved to a freezer nearby. Picking up a large tray, he moved to the Five-0 table. He dropped the heavy tray over the table, crossing his arms across his chest. "So I heard you left your wallets at home? You'll have to pay for the meal with work then…" He said, looking pointedly at Steve, Chin and Kono.

Steve frowned. "What do you mean we have to pay? Didn't Danny pay the bill?"

Kamekona nodded. "Nope… It seems he forgot his wallet home as well, but he said you'd cover his part… Hope you don't mind getting your hands dirty…" He finished, with a nod in the direction of the large tray.

Chin sighed. "Is there any chance you'd let us pay you later?" He asked, already knowing the answer to his question.

Kamekona winced. "I don't believe in debts or in keeping tabs for customers… I prefer tangible forms of payment…" He said with a nod.

Kono rolled her eyes. "And how do you expect us to pay for the meal?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

Kamekona uncovered the large tray, revealing a few large tuna fishes. "Nothing too difficult. I just need some help to clean some fishies!" He said with a large smile.

Steve sighed, turning to Cath. "Hey, would you mind driving my mom home? I'll be over as soon as I'm done here…" He asked with a pleading look.

Cath didn't seem to like the idea too much, but didn't see any other way out of the awkward situation. "Sure… no problem…" She said, with a forced smile.

* * *

Steve walked Cath and Doris to Cath's car, and by the time he was back at the table, Kamekona had cleared up all the dishes and placed three large tuna fishes on the table, the smaller one in front of Kono, one slightly bigger in front of Chin and the biggest of the bunch on the empty spot where Steve was sitting initially. There was another tuna, about the same size as Chin's still in the tray in front of Kamekona.

Steve took the sharp knife placed next to his fish and looked at Kamekoma. "Alright, how do we do this?" He asked the large man.

Kamekona moved closer to Steve, wielding a knife of his own. "Well, brudda… You have to take out everything you're not free to use… Think of it like your paycheck for instance…" He said looking at the large fish.

"Since your house is already paid for, you only have to worry about some monthly bills, no rent or mortgage… right?" Kamekona continued, raising the knife and chopping off the tail of the tuna.

"Other than that, money for food and some other daily expenses…" The large man kept explaining while moving the knife again and taking out the fins and some skin.

"Oh! And don't forget the taxes!" He kept talking, chopping off the fish's head with a well practiced move.

"So that leaves you with plenty of nice and delicious meat to work with…" The big man finished with a flourish, leaving the clean fish in front of Steve and moving to Chin's side.

Kamekona studied the fish, and after a minute of studying it, he started cutting it as well. "Well, it looks like you're paying a mortgage for your house, my friend…" He said, chopping off a larger piece of the fish's tail that seemed darker and not too fresh.

"Other than that, you have plenty much the same stuff to take care of as McGarrett…" He chopped off the fins and the head as well, leaving in front of Chin a medium sized peace of fish. "But you are still left with more than enough to manage comfortably…" Kamekona said with a pleased smile in Chin's direction.

The big man now moved to Kono's place looking at the smallest fish in the bunch, placed in front of her. "Well, you don't have as much to work with as these two, but it looks like you have a good lease agreement from your cousin… and not as many expenses…" He said, chopping off just a small portion of the tail and fins. After he chopped off the head, he was left with a larger piece of fish than Chin's. "You see? You're better off that your cuz over there!" He said with a smile, nodding in Chin's direction.

Kamekona finally moved back to the tray, taking out the last fish and placing it in the spot where Danny was sitting initially. He shook his head sadly, studying the fish in front of him. "This poor fellow is as big at Chin Ho's, but looks like he's paying a huge rent…" He said, chopping off a large piece of the tail.

"He must also have to pay some alimony; maybe contribute for some expensive school for his child?" He continued, chopping off another piece of the fish that also looked not fresh.

"Add to that an expensive lawyer, specialized in custody matters…" The large man said, chopping off about a third of the fish's side that also looked bad.

"And of course the usual taxes and regular expenses… Doesn't leave too much to work with…" Kamekona finished with a sad sigh, looking at the small piece of fish left in front of him.

The big man looked up at the people standing around the table, and was pleased to see that they realized how smaller the piece in front of him was, not even reaching half of the smallest one of the three of them.

Steve seemed to think about it for a couple of minutes, finally taking his knife and cutting half of his piece. "Well, what if I give him half of mine?" He asked, looking for confirmation from his friends.

Kamekona shook his head sadly. "Well, a good tuna fillet don't come in pieces, does it? The color is not the same, and the flavor will probably be different too… It'll feel like a meal made of charity and it doesn't deserve that… On the other hand, maybe it'd be better if you can make the fillet larger… with stuff like remembering your wallets for a change…" He said, with a pointed look at the three people around the table. "Or maybe finding a way to get a larger fish?" He moved his look to the leader of the team, returning his piece of fish back to him.

Steve nodded, looking at Chin and Kono, and finding their implicit agreement. "Yeah… I'm sure we can do that…" He said.

* * *

A couple of weeks later, Kamekona found himself face to face with a fuming Danny Williams. "What did you tell them?" The shorter man asked him in a soft and angry voice.

Kamekona gave Danny his best innocent look. "What'd I tell'em? I didn't tell 'em nothing! What should I've told 'em, brudda?"

Danny shook his head. "I don't know what you did, but you did something! Every since that day they've been acting strange! And it's all your fault!" Danny ranted, pointing an accusing finger in Kamekona's direction.

Kamekona frowned. "They're acting strange? Strange how?"

Danny shook his head sadly, passing a hand through his hair. "Well, they're acting strange… In the last two weeks, Steve has taken my car to question some witness or some other stuff about ten times, and at least five of those he has returned it with a full tank of gasoline! At least five! And during the same time, either Chin or Kono have come into work in the morning bringing breakfast for the whole team at least four times! They've brought Malasadas, coffee, even Coco Puffs a couple of times! And they never did that before!" Danny ranted angrily, waving his hand wildly in the air.

"And you know the worst of it? The day before yesterday Steven went to talk to the Governor and managed to convince him to get a 10% raise for the whole team and for Max too! He doesn't need a raise! I'm sure he's not sure what to do with the money he makes on a regular basis except for spending it on Cargo pants! So why would he go to the Governor for a raise, Huh?" Danny finished angrily.

Kamekona chuckled, patting Danny roughly on the back. "Well, brudda… Maybe he thinks his team needs the money to pay for all the gas and breakfast they're buying now?" The larger man asked, trying and failing to look innocent.

Danny shook his head again, trying and failing to look annoyed. "Don't know what you did, Big Man, but you managed to make it look like it was nothing intentional on their part. Doesn't mean I like it any better, though… Anyway, I guess I should thank you for it in any case…" The shorter man grudgingly extended his hand to Kamekona.

Kamekona ignored the extended hand, patting Danny on the back again and making him stumble a step forward. "I didn't do anything, brudda… No thanks are necessary!" He said.

Danny regained his balance, and moved away from the larger man, and in the direction of the car. "I'll never understand Hawaiians… Crazy people, all of them!" He grumbled, while getting into his beloved car and driving away.

Kamekona chuckled and watched the Jersey detective drive away. He was happy that his Ohana had realized a good way to help, and he was even happier that for once the proud man had accepted the help without putting too much of a fuzz about it. He went back to his truck with a spring in his step, he had shrimp to cook!

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The End

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A/N: Thank you very much for reading!

This little story came about by how much care Danny put into counting the $50 that he had to pay the fortune teller... He has complained about money in more than one occasion and I didn't like that Kono automatically assumed that he has more money just because he earns more than her.

Anyways, I'd really like to hear what you think of this one!

Thanks again, and I hope to see you soon!


	3. The Living are Scarier

**A/N: **This short story was written for a prompt of superbadgirl in a Halloween Prompt meme. Her propmt was: _Gen or S/D is fine. Rated G-R. Five-0 hosts a haunted house in their offices. This could be cute/fun, or it could be the perfect opportunity for the criminal element to try something really stupid. ;)_**  
**

I hope you like it!**  
**

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**The Living are Scarier**

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Danny didn't really have a problem with Halloween. He didn't have any real issues against Haunted Houses, but when the Governor of Hawaii forced Five-0 and half of all available HPD officers to host a haunted house at Iolani Palace, Danny was not a happy man.

Well, if he was being honest, other than himself, nobody else looked like the Governor had twisted their arms to make them dress up and welcome people of all ages into the creepy building, in fact Danny was probably the only one that hadn't dressed up for the occasion, choosing instead to keep his usual combo of well pressed slacks and dress shirt. He was on bodyguard duty after all.

Danny looked resignedly at the object of his surveillance. Governor Denning had gone all out with his Halloween celebration, expending an insane amount of money in decorations, skulls, pumpkin lanterns and all kind of spooky stuff that jumped from the walls at the most inopportune moments, and hiring a couple of teams of creepy looking actors that followed the visitors around, creeping them out and generally making them squeal like a girl.

The Governor, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying himself far too much, laughing gleefully at the spooky characters that jumped at him from time to time and at the reaction of the people all around him. He was the Governor of Hawaii for Christ's sake, and he was wearing a plastic knife through his head and apparently had bathed himself in ketchup! Apparently part of Five-0 was also affected by this night craziness, since Steve was running around dressed up like some kind of ninja zombie, and Kono was dressed like a creepy vampire, shiny white eyes and all that. Chin wasn't really in a celebratory mood, but didn't want to leave his team on their own, so he was outside; helping the security staff that checked who could come into the palace.

Well, Danny had a job to do tonight, and the craziness all around him wasn't making it any easier. The fact that they'd left all of their weapons in the locked safe upstairs at their office, for safety reasons, Steve said, didn't make Danny feel any better about his current situation.

"This is not a costume, Maam, this is my regular work attire…" Danny replied tiredly to the hundredth person that had asked about his 'costume'.

"_Well, you know I kept some fake blood in my pocket, if you want to dress up a bit, Danno…" _Danny heard his partner's voice in his ear, sounding far too gleeful for his taste.

Danny shook his head, but stopped himself when he realized that Steve couldn't really see him from his position downstairs. "No thank you, Steven. I have no problem looking like a normal person, unlike you and Kono, who decided that the best way to look professional tonight would be making yourselves look like crazy bloodsucking people!"

"_I'm the bloodsucker one, but I think the boss leans more towards brains, Danny." _Came Kono's cheeky reply.

Danny rolled his eyes, smiling in spite of himself. "Alright, if we ignore the specifics of undead monsters, is there anything we should worry about on your end?"

"_Everything quiet around here, Danno…"_ Steve's voice was followed by a terrified screech, a recorded one that kept sounding every few minutes.

"_Nothing to report around here either…"_ Kono's voice followed.

"_Over here we're having coco puffs and coffee, in case anyone is interested."_ Came Chin's amused report.

Danny shook his head at the unfairness of it all. While Steve and Kono were having the time of their lives spooking clueless visitors and Chin was enjoying the greatest pastry ever invented, he was stuck watching as a bunch of over excited people were waving plastic knives in front of an equally over excited Governor.

Wait a minute, if they were waving plastic knives, how come that guy's knife shone like that? Danny thought, focusing his attention on a real looking knife somewhere in the chaos. "Guys, we have a situation!" Danny barked, while moving closer to the Governor's position.

Danny agreed with the idea that having their weapons in display while they were surrounded by people being spooked and scared was not the best idea, but when Danny could clearly see a guy coming at the Governor with an 8 inch knife, he truly wished he had kept at least his backup piece. "Hey buddy, why don't you drop that? Huh? We wouldn't want you to hurt yourself, right?" Danny said loudly, lifting his hands in a placating gesture.

The knife wielding guy stuck out like a sore thumb. It was not the crazed look on his face or the gigantic knife on his hand. Sadly for Danny, it was the guy's outfit; well pressed shirt and slacks made him stand out among the group of people in summer attire and Halloween costumes. He shook his head, moving towards Danny and the Governor with renewed purpose.

Most people around them were smart enough to move away, but most of them didn't really leave the room, probably thinking that this was some kind of skit, which forced Danny to make an extra effort to keep the guy's attention on himself instead of any innocent bystander or even the Governor. "Hey, hey! Stop right there! Drop the knife and put your hands in the air!" Danny barked, with an air of authority that he hoped the crazy looking guy would buy.

Unfortunately the crazy guy didn't buy Danny's bluff, so he looked around in search of the Governor and when he found him he raised his knife and charged at him with a furious roar.

Danny had only a second to make up his mind, and had just enough time to sprint in the guy's direction and tackle him to the ground before he could reach the Governor. They rolled to a stop against a large table with drinks, which of course fell all over them and made things even stickier for Danny. He had heard his shirt ripping a couple of times, and if that hadn't enraged him enough, the large bowl of punch currently dripping on his slacks was finally enough.

At least the large glass bowl had fallen over the crazy guy's head, stunning him enough for Danny to deliver a sharp punch to the guy's elbow, finally making him drop the butcher's knife, and then a second punch to the guy's nose had him rolling away from Danny, stunned.

Danny stood up, shaking off the food and beverages that had fallen on him as best as he could and he moved towards the crazy guy, still rolling on the floor in pain. Fortunately he had kept his handcuffs in his pocket, so he pushed him to lay on his stomach and pulling his hands behind his back he handcuffed him and pulled him to his feet.

Danny looked around and spotted Sergeant Lukela coming his way. He pushed the crazy guy in his direction, trying to get rid of him as soon as he could. "Could you take him to booking? He tried to attack the Governor, he was carrying this…" Danny said, crouching to pick up the huge knife with two fingers. When he straightened, he had to blink away black spots from his vision, but managed to give the knife to the older officer without incident.

The sound of stomping feet made Danny turn around, and sure enough, Zombie Steve was coming through the hallway, finally managing to move through the large crowd trying to move down the stairs. He stopped in his tracks at the sight of Danny and chuckled in sympathy. "I thought you were not wearing a costume, Danno!"

Danny shrugged tiredly, feeling a twinge of pain in his side, probably the adrenaline wearing off, he figured. "As usual, things didn't work out as planned…" He said with a tired sigh.

Steve turned to look at the crazy guy being carted away by Duke, and frowned in thought; he turned to Danny, looking in concern at his shirt. "Danno… If he's only bleeding from the nose, where's all that blood coming from?" He asked more urgently pointing at Danny's shirt while moving quickly to his side.

Danny frowned, looking down at his shirt. Other than the icky pineapple punch (why did it have to be pineapple?!), there shouldn't be anything else on his shirt, but sure enough, there was a large red stain on his side. Where had that come from? He wondered. He lifted confused eyes to his partner, but before he could reply, his knees folded and he was falling to the floor.

Steve caught him before he could hit the floor and lowered him gently the rest of the way. "I need EMS here now! Clear up the hallways and get me a medic!" Steve snapped into his comm. and moved to lift Danny's shirt, finding a couple of superficial slashes on his side. He took a piece of gauze from one of his many pockets and pressed it into the wounds.

Danny was lying there in a daze. He wasn't following very well what was going on, but the feel of steady pressure on an already painful spot on his chest effectively woke him up. He tried to double over, but a large hand on his shoulder stopped his movement. "Easy Danno, I'm just trying to stop the bleeding, ok? Do you have any trouble breathing?"

Danny frowned, not following what Steve was asking, "What?"

Steve shook Danny a bit, trying to get him to focus. "Danny, does it hurt when you breathe?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "Of course it hurts when I breathe! My side was slashed by a crazy asshole with a butcher's knife! Did you expect it not to hurt? Huh?"

Steve chuckled. "Alright, fair enough, but does it feel like he punctured something? Any shortage of breath or strange feeling?"

Danny thought for a minute, he tried to hold the gauze himself, but Steve kept pushing his hands away, so he settled for leaving them at his side. "Don't know… It doesn't feel like he popped my lung or anything like that, but it's not just the slashes… I… I think he broke something…"

Steve patted his arm comfortingly. "Yeah, he probably cracked a rib or two, but it's bleeding quite a bit… Just relax, buddy… the medics will be here soon…"

Danny closed his eyes for a minute, listening to the movement around him. The sound of scrambling feet and the feel of someone kneeling at his side made him open his eyes again. He wished he hadn't, a second later, when the sight of white, shiny eyes and bloody fangs had him trying to scramble away from the scary figure at his side. If he happened to squeal like a girl, he would blame it on blood loss and shock, and would stick to that story for the rest of his days.

"Shit! Danny, no! It's me, Kono!" Came the familiar voice from the scary creature, only now the glowing eyes and bloody fangs were gone, and Kono looked down at him with an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry brah…"

Danny shook his head. "Don't scare me like that, woman…"

Kono squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry, Danny, I just came to let you know that EMS are just pulling up at the door, and that Chin is leading them upstairs…"

Danny looked down at his blood stained shirt and thought of Chin and Malia. Chin shouldn't have to see him like that. He reached out and caught Kono's hand in a bruising grip. "Chin… no… don't let him come…" He told her, trying to get his point across.

He felt Steve's hand squeezing his shoulder again. "Danno… He needs to make sure you're alright, just like we did…"

Danny sighed tiredly and nodded in understanding. He didn't have time to do anything else before the paramedics were upon him. They bandaged him, dumped him in a gurney and poked him with a couple of needles and suddenly he didn't feel any pain, making things even fuzzier than before. He looked around and saw Chin and Kono standing to the side. "Hey Danny, how are you doing?" Asked Chin, with a concerned frown on his face.

Danny gave him a dopey grin. "'m good, babe…" He turned to Steve, who was standing next to his gurney. "Hey, babe… Tell Rachel…" Steve widened his eyes and started to protest, but Danny kept going. "Tell Rach that I was right… This creepy party was no place for her to bring my sweet M'nkey…" He mumbled with a frown.

He turned to Chin and Kono again… "I told you guys that this h'nted house thingy was a bad idea…" He finished, with a put upon sigh.

He heard Steve's chuckle from somewhere above his head, probably behind the gurney. "Yeah Danno, you may have mentioned it about 20 or 30 times…"

Danny sighed tiredly, trying to settle himself more comfortably on the gurney. "You see? Why b'ther being spook'd by the undead, when the living are scarier?" He mumbled grumpily, finally closing his eyes and letting the nice drugs take over. He'd let his team try to make sense of this whole mess for once.

* * *

The End

* * *

A/N: Thank you very much for reading! I'd love to hear what you thought of this one! See you around!


	4. A Man's Worth

A/N: Hey all. Just in case, this story was inspired by episode 3x06, and therefore deals with September 11.

* * *

**A Man's Worth**

* * *

_The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving_

_Albert Einstein_

* * *

Steve had barely managed to get half an hour of solid sleep before he was rudely awoken by the sound of his phone ringing. He groaned, reaching for his phone with the sole purpose of pressing the ignore button, but the sight of Danny's name on the screen made him sit up in his bed and take the call. "Hey Danno, I'd think that you and Gracie would be sleeping by now…"

Steve could hear a soft chuckle from his partner, but it didn't sound quite right. "Well, Grace is probably already asleep. I dropped her off at Rachel's a while ago…" Came Danny's shaky reply.

Steve frowned, not liking the sound of his friend. "That's too bad, Danno. I thought she'd stay with you tonight…"

He could hear Danny sighing sadly. "Well, apparently Rachel's civility ran out once I told her the terrorist threat was contained."

Steve shook his head in sympathy. "So, where are you now buddy?"

Strangely, it took Danny a couple of seconds to reply, and when he did, he didn't really answer Steve's question. "Well, I figured that with the crappy day we both had, maybe we could have that beer now?"

Steve frowned, glancing at the clock at his bedside. It read 1.43, and the thought of going out anywhere almost made him crawl under the covers again, but he couldn't leave his partner right now. "Sure, no better time than the present! Why don't you come over? I have a couple of six packs in the fridge, and if you want to crash here we can crack open a bottle of scotch I've been saving for a while…" He said, with as much enthusiasm as he could.

"Yeah… That'd be good…" Came Danny's shaky voice. "It's just that… Steve… D'you think that… Would you mind coming over to pick me up?" Danny finished in a rush.

Steve really didn't like the sound of his partner, so he quickly got out of his bed and put back the clothes he had dropped around, moving to the door. "Sure Danno, no problem. Where do you want me to pick you up?" He said, trying to sound as normal as possible.

"I… I'm…Shit…" Danny started, sounding uncertain. "After I dropped Grace off I drove around for a while, but then… I had to… It kinda hit me… and I had to… had to stop… stopped by the side of the road… no idea where… can you… Steve, can you come over?" He finally asked, starting to sound distressed.

Steve rushed to the door, jumping into his truck and rushing down the road. "Hang on, Danno, I'm on my way, ok? It'll be alright, buddy, I'm on my way…"

* * *

Danny had tried to push the driver seat as back as it could go and was currently doubled over, holding his head between his knees and trying to stop himself from shaking apart. In a moment of desperation he had taken his phone and called his partner, and the thought that Steve was on his way was the only thing keeping Danny from totally breaking.

It had been too much, from the terrorist threat, to barely getting there in time to stop the car bomb from exploding, to telling the story about his old partner from Jersey, about seeing her die right in front of his eyes and how the tragedy that was September 11th gave him the chance to escape certain death.

Having to stand still while a guy in a space suit was trying to stop a bunch of C4, nails and some other painful looking stuff from exploding in his direction, making him end up like a human jigsaw puzzle. And the cherry on top, what had made him hold himself together until after Grace was safe at home, what had kept him holding on 11 years ago, was his little girl, the promise he had made to her, the Dance, and the sight of his Grace, all dressed up and looking like a princess, and wanting to share it all with her old man. That's what made it all worth it, the knowledge that Grace would still have her Danno around to take care of her.

Of course that ending up stranded by the side of a random road somewhere in this God forsaken island was not part of the plan, but he hadn't managed to get himself home before it hit him, so he was stuck here in his car, alone, shaking like the old washing machine he and Rachel had back in Hoboken and waiting for his partner to get there.

* * *

The sound of the car door opening made him jump in his seat, but then came familiar voices, Steve, Chin and Kono's, and familiar hands were pulling him out and wrapping a blanket around his shoulders.

After some undignified manhandling, Danny found himself in the back seat of the Silverado, with Steve and Chin flanking him and providing much needed warmth. He looked up and was surprised to see that they were moving, and that Kono was the one driving Steve's truck. "Where are we going? And why are you letting her drive your truck?" He asked. Now that he had the shaking finally under control he was having a little bit of trouble keeping his eyes open, but he was comfortable where he was, slumped in between Chin and Steve.

Steve said something about them going to his place, and that Kono was a good driver, but by then Danny had found a comfortable spot and was snoring softly. Who would have thought that Steve's shoulder would be so comfortable, huh?

* * *

The sound of a door opening and closing and Steve and Chin's whispering voices brought him back from his short nap. "It's alright, Chin, just help me get him out and I can carry him inside…"

Before they could put their plan in motion, Danny sat up and looked around with a yawn. They were outside Steve's place and both Steve and Chin seemed to be discussing the best way to get Danny inside the house. "Please don't tell me that you were planning to carry me inside like a blushing bride." Danny said, glaring at Steve and crossing his arms across his chest.

Chin shook his head with a smile and moved in the direction of the house, leaving Danny with his crazy partner. "Blushing bride? Nah, I was thinking more of a fireman's carry!" Steve said with a goofy smile, lifting his arm as if he was carrying someone over his shoulder.

Danny rolled his eyes, stifling a yawn and moving to the opposite door to get out of the truck. "Well, I appreciate the effort, but I'm perfectly capable of walking into your house all by myself…" Ha said, before getting out of the truck and moving towards the door with the blanket still wrapped around his shoulders.

Steve closed the truck quickly and moved to Danny's side, trying to make it look like he was not worried that his friend wouldn't make the short trip from the truck to his door on his own steam.

Fortunately Danny made the trip without any incidents, but before Steve could suggest that he went to lie down on the spare bedroom, Danny moved to the kitchen, coming back with a six pack on his hands and shuffling towards the lanai.

Steve shared a confused look with Chin and Kono, and moved to intercept Danny. Before the blonde man could reach his destination, Steve put a foot over the blanket that was still being dragged behind him, effectively stopping his movement. "Where do you think you're going, Danno?"

Danny looked up at him with a confused expression on his face, more accurately, a half asleep, but confused, expression on his face. "I thought we were having a beer?" He asked, lifting his eyebrows.

Steve chuckled, he took the beers from Danny's hands, passing them to Chin and putting his hands on the shorter man's shoulders, he steered him towards the couch. "Well, we can have them here on the couch, maybe there's a game or something?"

Danny looked resigned when he moved closer to the couch. With a tired sigh, he sat down on it, right next to Kono. He pulled the blanket closer around his chest and leaned back against the cushions. Steve sat down at Danny's other side, offering him and Kono a beer and Chin sat down at the recliner, taking a beer of his own.

* * *

Steve studied his partner, noticing the hands, tightly clasped over his knees, the exhaustion reflected on his face, and the grief, still present in his eyes. "So, Danno… You still haven't finished your story…" He asked, sitting sideways to look at Danny.

Danny turned to look at Steve with a frown on his face. "I haven't finished? There's not much more to tell, babe…" He said with a shrug.

Steve scoffed. "Seriously? You were hurt, alone, in an abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere, your partner was down and the world was ending… I want to know how the hell you managed to get out of there!"

Danny looked down, shrugging. "Grace… My partner… She was gone… I think it was pretty quick…" He said with a sniff. "I just… just picked her up and got her into the car. I wanted to get her to a hospital anyway, and the black and whites were not stopping, so I decided to drive her myself…"He said with a shrug.

"I only made it to a roadblock Newark Police had put up… I think one of the guys knew me… I have no idea what I told them, but they took care of Grace and drove me to the hospital. Next time I opened my eyes I was in a gurney in the middle of a crazy hallway, all patched up and my… my Pop was there…" Danny said, lifting a hand to quickly wipe his eyes.

With a deep breath, Danny continued his story. "My Pop, he's… he's a firefighter, and I don't know how, the phones where a mess, but I guess someone reached him on the radio just before… Just before his Unit took off, and he… he dropped everything to go see me…" He said with a hitch on his breath.

Kono had lifted her arm to wrap it over Danny's shoulders, but nobody dared to stop their friend's story. "He… He stayed with me until we could convince someone to let me go home, and then we went to his place… everyone was there, Matt had picked up Rachel and my sisters and… And Pop still stayed until he was sure I'd be alright… His team was on their way to ground zero and he… he still stayed…"

Danny finally lowered his head to bury it in his hands. "I… I've always wondered if he regretted it… If maybe he wished he'd been with his team instead…" He said, between hitched breaths.

Steve shook his head, leaning forward to squeeze Danny's shoulder. "What? Come on, Danno… Would you ever regret being there for Grace when she needed you?"

Danny lifted his head to focus tear filled eyes on his partner. "No, of course not! But I… It was all so stupid! We should have never gone there alone! It was my fa… And with everything else, her death seemed like such a small thing… Bu-but it wasn't!" He finished, with a sob. "Shit… I'm so sorry… I'm so… so sorry!" He said, before losing the battle with his tears.

Steve and Kono wrapped their arms around Danny and Chin moved from the recliner to sit on the coffee table, right in front of him. Leaning forward he started to run his finger gently through Danny's hair, trying to provide any comfort he could.

* * *

It took him a few minutes, but finally Danny calmed down somewhat. Chin had moved away and had come back with a mug of tea, which he left on the coffee table for Danny. "I hope there's some scotch in that…" Danny said with a small smile, giving the mug a dubious look.

Steve chuckled, patting Danny's back. "Why don't you finish that tea and we'll see about some scotch?"

With a long suffering sigh, Danny picked up the tea, taking a couple of small sips; He used the blanket to wipe the last of his tears.

Steve was studying him, and squeezed his shoulder to get his attention. "Hey Danno… Have you ever talked to anyone about this?"

Danny gave him a forced smile and looked away too quickly. "Didn't you know that a psych evaluation is mandatory after an injury before a detective can go back to active duty?"

Chin chuckled. "Well, somehow I have the feeling that shrinks were a bit preoccupied at the time…" He said, which got a non committal shrug from the Jersey detective.

"What about your dad? Your family?" Steve asked, regaining Danny's attention.

Danny chuckled drily. "How could I ask my dad if he wished he didn't have to stay with me that day? Or whether he thinks that my partner's death was my fault? Should I ask him if I was worth the sacrifice as well?"

His rant was interrupted by Kono's voice. "Well, in spite of the tragedy of that day, I'm glad that things turned out as they did. I'm glad you got to meet your Grace and that you followed her to Hawaii and became part of our Ohana."

He looked up to see both Chin and Steve nodding in agreement. "Well, Brah… Are you stupid enough to contradict her?" Chin said, nodding in Kono's direction.

Danny looked at Kono's smiling face and breathed a tired chuckle. "Hell no! She's scary!" He said, sinking deeper into the cushions at his back.

Steve patted him roughly on the shoulder. "Well, I'm glad that's settled then…" He said, standing up. "Ok, it's been a long day for all, especially for the belle of the ball over there…" Steve said, nodding in Danny's direction. "So what do you guys say we call it a night? Make that a morning…" He finished, looking at his watch with a wince.

Danny was starting to nod off, so he grumbled annoyed at the hands that manhandled him into a prone position on the couch, placed a pillow under his head and tucked a blanket snuggly over his body. He felt pats on the shoulder and a kiss on the forehead, but his brain couldn't come up with anything more articulate than a mumbled "Thanks guys…"

* * *

Steve locked up after Chin and Kono left, and checked on Danny one last time before going upstairs. Today has been close, too close, and he still needed to make sure that his partner was here, alive and kicking, even after everything that had happened. He eyed the recliner for a minute, wondering if his peace of mind was worth the neck pain that would greet him the following day.

Somewhere he had heard a saying: 'A man's worth depends on his two smallest organs: his heart and his tongue.' Well, Danny had a huge heart, and had no trouble speaking his mind when he felt it was needed, so Steve guessed he was more than worth a little pain.

He settled on the recliner with a blanket, closing his eyes and thanking whoever was watching that fate had brought this short, annoying man to their lives.

* * *

The End

* * *

A/N: Thank you so much for reading. After Danny's story, I needed to know how he had gotten to safety, or relative safety under the circumstances, so I came up with my own story. I tried to deal with the events of that day in a respectful way, so I hope I won't offend anyone with this story.

Again thank you so much for reading, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one.

See you around!


	5. Merry Not-Christmas

A/N: Hey there! This story wanted to be written in a hurry after today's episode, so be warned for spoilers.

* * *

**Merry Not-Christmas**

* * *

Danny had known from the start that accepting Steve's invitation would be an awful idea. Steve and Cath spent most of the evening giving each other besotted looks, Doris kept making awkward attempts to start conversation and Danny was sure that his awful mood was ruining everyone's evening.

He had made an effort to tone down his snappiness, but as it turned out, his silence seemed to be far worse than the angriest rant for Steve, who kept giving him worried looks and trying to find ways to get him ranting.

He had dutifully eaten every dish that was put in front of him, not making a comment about the disguised taste of pineapple that accompanied the beef, or was it pork? that he had eaten, but he hadn't had the heart to argue about the proper way to cook for the holidays. This didn't feel like a holiday, not without Grace around to spoil and celebrate with.

He finished his dessert as quickly as he could without being rude and excused himself, moving out towards the lanai, walking slowly towards the water nearby.

* * *

He felt more than heard the figure standing next to him on the beach, and looked up to tell his partner to go back inside, that he was alright, he just needed some fresh air. He wasn't expecting to find the wrong McGarrett standing next to him.

Doris looked at the water gently lapping against the shore. She moved to the wooden chairs nearby, using the armrest to place the two tumblers that she had brought with her. She filled them with bottle of bourbon on her hand and motioned for Danny to sit next to her and take a glass.

With a tired sigh Danny moved to the chair, accepting the drink and taking a long sip from it. After being silent for a few minutes, he finally muttered the first thing that came to mind. "I have no idea how you endured it…"

Doris turned a confused look towards Danny. "Endured what?" She asked, already guessing the answer.

Danny shrugged, waving his arm around to encompass the whole situation. "This… How'd you do it? How'd you manage to stay away for so long, missing holidays, birthdays, school performances… How'd you survive knowing that they needed you; that they missed you and you couldn't be with them?" He finally asked in a choked up voice.

Doris sighed sadly, refilling Danny's empty glass before taking a small sip of his own. "You just go through it one day at a time, knowing that what you were doing was for the best…"

Danny scoffed. "For the best? With all due respect Ma'am, there's nothing good in you faking your death and disappearing for twenty years, just like there's nothing good in me being away from my daughter on Christmas! I've heard all about you trying to protect them from the evils of the world, I've felt the same way, but how can you do anything to protect them when you're not there when they need you? Huh?" He asked angrily, jumping to his feet and waving his hand around, sloshing bourbon all around him. After that, he seemed to deflate. "I'm sorry, I know you thought you were doing the right thing, I sure thought I was, I was just trying to have a more civil relationship with Rachel, try to get on her good side, but it seems we were both wrong, because all your children will remember of those years is that you lied, and that you willingly stayed away from them, while all Grace will remember of this Christmas is that her father wasn't there with her…" He finished sadly, lifting his free hand to rub it roughly over his eyes.

Doris stood up from his chair, leaving the bottle behind and standing next to Danny again. "Maybe you're braver than I am, Danny. I couldn't bear the thought of being responsible of any harm that may come to them because of what I did; you can't bear the thought of your daughter being hurt because you were not there to protect her…"

Danny shook his head angrily. "I'm not brave… I'm just a coward, trying to delay the moment when she realizes what a disappointment I am…" He said in a hoarse voice.

Doris chuckled softly. "You're wrong again, Danny. You are a good parent, much better than I could ever hope to be, and your girl will never be disappointed. And about this Christmas, she's not going to remember that you weren't there, she's only going to remember that Christmas came a little later this year, when she got to spend it with her Danno…" And with that, she started to walk back to the house.

Danny pinched the bridge of his nose, moving back to the chair and refilling his glass.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later Danny was slumped on his chair, staring listlessly at the ocean. He'd had another full glass of bourbon, or maybe two? He was not really sure, but things were getting comfortably numb. A soft sound at his side made him turn his head and he was surprised to find Steve sitting in the chair next to him, wearing his best aneurism face.

Danny didn't like to see Steve worried, especially when he was the one causing the worry. "'m sorry babe…" He said, clumsily patting Steve's knee.

Steve lifted his eyebrows. "What are you apologizing about, Danno?"

Danny shrugged, staring sadly into his empty glass. "I ruined everything… Told you it wasn't a good idea…"

Steve chuckled sadly, placing a hand on Danny's shoulder. "You haven't ruined anything, buddy. I just wish that we could make things better…"

Danny just shrugged, not looking convinced.

* * *

They sat there for a while, quietly looking at the ocean, and of course that Steve would not give him more booze, the annoying goof. When Danny's eyes started to close on their own, Steve stood up, pulling him along back towards the house. "Come on, Danno… Time for bed."

Danny yawned, making a half hearted protest. "'s ok… Just get me a taxi…" He mumbled.

Steve chuckled, huffing a little at having to pull Danny along while keeping him on his feet. "No Danny, tonight you're staying at Mary's room, ok? The bed is all made up for you…"

Danny protested all the way upstairs, but found himself being dropped into the soft mattress anyway. He groaned when Steve took off his shoes and lifted his feet to lie on the bed. "Hmmmno… Waves… Won't let me sleep…" He mumbled around a yawn.

Steve shook his head. "I have the feeling that you won't have any trouble sleeping tonight, I don't envy the morning you'll have tomorrow though."

Danny yawned again, shifting around to find a more comfortable position on the bed. He looked up at Steve with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Steve? I know that we don't trust your mom, and that she's been telling lies since she got back here, but d'you think we can believe in some of the things she says?" He asked in an uncertain voice.

Steve frowned, wondering where this was going. "I don't know Danno… What did she say?"

Danny shrugged, looking uncertain. "She said that Grace won't think I ruined everything by not being with her this Christmas, that she'll only remember that Christmas came a little later this year, when she got to spend it with me…" He said with a sad sniff.

Steve squeezed his shoulder, giving him a sad smile. "Yeah Danno… I'm positive she's telling the truth on that one."

Danny breathed a relieved sigh, finally finding a comfortable position on his pillow and closing his eyes. "Tha's good… Thank you babe… Merry Not-Christmas…"

He heard a chuckle and felt light blankets being tucked round him before sleep finally claimed him. "You are welcome, merry Not-Christmas, Danno…"

* * *

The End

* * *

A/N: Thank you very much for reading! I don't know where this came from, since I don't really like Doris, but I felt she could relate to Danny in some way, so this came out.

I'd really love to hear what you think of this one.

And Happy holidays, in case I don't see you sooner!


	6. A Friend's Concern

****A/N: Well, this one has spoilers for Ep 3X15, so be warned.

* * *

**A Friend's Concern**

* * *

Once they had taken care of the crime scene and Max had come over to pick up Stoner's body, Steve finally decided to brave the rage of Danno, coming closer to the blonde man and dangling the keys on his fingers as a peace offering.

Danny raised his eyebrows incredulously. "Seriously? You're going to let me drive my own car for once?"

Steve gave him a goofy smile, passing him the keys. "Of course! I figured it would improve your mood a little, since you've been so sensitive today…" He said with a smirk.

It was obviously the wrong thing to say, because Danny's expression darkened even more. "Well, excuse me if I don't feel like going to another friend's funeral this time of year" He said in a low growl, and taking the keys from Steve he took off, with a muttered "I have stuff to do, see you tomorrow", leaving Steve staring at the retreating Camaro.

Chin approached with a curious look on his face. "You need a ride?" He asked.

Steve nodded, with a concerned frown on his face. "Yeah, thanks Chin."

* * *

A couple of hours later, Steve found himself knocking on Danny's door. He was bearing a six pack of beer and a couple of meatball sandwiches from Danny's favorite place as a peace offering.

Danny opened his door, not looking terribly surprised by his partner's visit. He was wearing a pair of worn cut offs and an old NJPD T-shirt. He took a look at Steve's offerings and without a word turned to go back inside, leaving the door open so Steve could enter.

The slightly unsteady steps of his friend told Steve that Danny had already been drinking before he got there; the 4 empty bottles on the coffee table confirmed his hunch.

Danny dug into the takeout bag without asking for permission, and taking a bottle from the six pack Steve had brought, dug in. Steve was a bit unsettled by his partner's silence, but a questioning look from the blonde man and a nod towards the other sandwich had him following his friend's lead.

They finished their sandwiches in silence, and when it seemed to have stretched long enough, Steve started talking. "I'm sorry Danno…"

Danny turned to look at his partner. "Would you mind telling me what are you sorry about?" He asked.

Steve really had to think about his answer. "I'm sorry that I made light of your concerns…" Danny was getting ready to interrupt, but Steve lifted his hand, forestalling his rant. "…And… I'm also sorry that I worried you and didn't listen to you when you asked me to wait for backup or not to put myself in the line of fire. I'm sorry for asking you to stay behind too, and last but not least, I'm sorry that I didn't realize that this would be a shitty week for you…" He finished in a rush.

Danny sat quietly in thought for a couple of minutes. With a deep breath he turned to Steve. "Apology noted…" He said softly with a small nod of his head.

Steve frowned, but kept his mouth shut. He didn't really think that Danny was done talking.

He was proved right a minute later, when Danny continued in a stronger voice. "I just don't understand how come that when I was stuck waiting for a bomb to go off and turn me into little pieces, you could not be persuaded to do the sensible thing and go away to take cover some place where the little body parts that were about to fly around wouldn't stain your white jeans, but you expect me to just sit around and do nothing when a psycho is gunning for your head…"

Steve shook his head remorsefully. "I'm sorry Danno… I shouldn't have asked that of you…"

Danny shook his head, breathing a tired chuckle. "Alright…" He said softly.

Steve lifted his eyebrows. "Is that acceptance I'm hearing?" He asked with a smirk.

"I guess it is…" Danny said with a roll of his eyes, passing another beer bottle to his friend.

Steve paused before taking the offered bottle. "This doesn't mean that you expect me to start following proper police procedure from now on, right?" He asked with a concerned look on his face.

That drew a welcome laugh from Danny. "I wouldn't ever think about it, babe…"

* * *

They sat quietly for a while, but Steve could see something weighting on his friend's shoulders. "Have you talked to Grace lately?" He asked, following a hunch.

Danny nodded. "Yup, she's about to start some dancing lessons, and she's really excited about them…" He said with a smile.

Steve smiled as well. "Has she had any nightmares lately?" He asked with a concerned look.

Danny shook his head, giving him a knowing glance. "No, thankfully she's not having any trouble with that… She moved on from that nightmare beautifully…" He said with a small smile.

Steve nodded, looking relieved. "That's good… What about her dad?" He asked, leaning forward to see his friend's face.

Danny shrugged, not really looking at Steve. "I dunno… Not as well as her, I guess… It's just been a bad week, you know…"

Steve patted his back gently. "Yeah, I know… Sorry again for being an ass, Danno…" He said, extending his bottle to knock it against Danny's.

"Don't worry about it, it was a crappy week for you too, babe… I'm just glad that you're still around to annoy me…" Danny said with a small smile.

Steve nodded, laying back to sit himself more comfortably on the couch. "Yeah… likewise, Danno…"

* * *

They spent the rest of the night watching a game on TV, drinking some beers and just enjoying each other's company, that was the best cure for any nightmare that may want to sneak up on them.

* * *

The End

* * *

A/N: Thank you so much for reading!

I really was surprissed at how angry Danny looked about the whole 'reckless Steve' thing, and then I remembered that 2X15 was the Eppy where Grace was kidnapped and Danny's friend was killed, so this came out. I hope you liked it.

I'd really love to hear what you thought of it!


	7. Even Vests are not always Bulletproof

A/N: Well... I wanted to write more of Frying pans, but this bunny bit me and wouldn't let me go... This is an AU of 3x14, so there could be some spoilers for that epi.

I warn you that this is shameless, plotless Danny Whump... Enjoy!

* * *

**Even Vests are not always Bulletproof**

* * *

Danny's day was not going according to plan, he thought, as Congressman Freed was propelled into the chopper by one of Wo Fat's bullets.

* * *

For starters, this morning at the custody hearing, he was supposed to have the chance to talk to Rachel. In fact his well prepared speech was meant for her. It was supposed to convince her not to take Grace away to Vegas, that Hawaii was Grace's home now and that uprooting her again would do her more harm than good.

Steve was supposed to be there as well. It's true that his own delivery of the speech was less than stellar, but Steve was supposed to be his all star character witness, and didn't manage to say more than two words before the Governor was calling him up for a case.

Now about the case, the fact that at first it was not actually a case should have tipped them off that things would not be easy. The sniper shooting their only witness and the kidnapped Congressman only served to confirm how messed up things were. And of course that the party wouldn't be complete without some Wo Fat thrown in for good measure.

A few weeks ago Danny had told Steve that he didn't particularly like the idea of getting in a chopper that Steve was flying, and yet he had gotten into a flying deathtrap with his partner more times in the last month than in the previous two years.

So that's how Danny found himself hanging by a harness from a chopper piloted by his crazy partner and with a Mk 12 Rifle on his hands.

* * *

Congressman Freed was already injured, so getting him into the chopper was a feat by itself. He had barely climbed into the chopper when another bullet pushed him against Danny and further into the chopper. Danny spared a minute to tell Steve to get them to the hospital, and that it was bad, before he started applying pressure to both wounds. Fortunately Steve listened to him for once and turned the chopper around and in the direction of the hospital.

After that things got a bit confusing for Danny. He did his best to stop the bleeding, but there was too much blood coming from the wounds on Freed's shoulder and chest. He kept talking to the Congressman, trying to keep him talking until they reached the hospital, but by the time Steve was landing the chopper, he was already out.

A group of people in scrubs was waiting, and when the chopper landed they rushed to get Freed out. Danny helped as much as he could and they got the Congressman into the gurney and on the way inside in what felt like a blink of an eye to him.

Steve was already out of the chopper and following the gurney, so Danny figured that's what he had to do as well. He moved to get out, but for some reason he couldn't stand. He looked down at himself and saw the harness still attached, so that at least explained it. Well, maybe he could wait for Steve here for a while, he thought, sitting on the floor of the chopper with his legs hanging out.

* * *

Steve had moved behind the gurney, looking around for any remaining threats, but it looked like they were good for now. He looked around to confirm it with Danny, only Danny was not at his side. When he saw Danny still sitting on the chopper with a lost expression on his face he feared that they were not as good as he initially thought. He turned to catch the attention of one of the nurses and then moved towards Danny. "Hey Danno, you ok?" He asked, looking at Danny's bloodstained hands.

Danny lifted confused eyes to look at his partner. "Huh?..." He said, lifting his eyebrows. "I… I still have this thing on…" He finished, looking at the harness still attached to his waist.

Steve nodded, moving to help Danny with the harness, trying to ignore the blood on Danny's hands. He was very concerned by his friend's confusion. The way he was acting, and the pallor of his skin spoke of early stages of shock, a reasonable assumption under the circumstances, but Steve had seen Danny right after Grace had been kidnapped, he'd seen him after a bomb almost exploded in front of him and he hadn't looked as bad as he did right now in any of those occasions. "Danno, were you hit?" He asked softly, trying to find an explanation for his partner's behavior.

Danny shook his head, not getting Steve's question. "Hit? No… Freed got hit…" He said with a frown. "I… I'm wearing a vest, aren't I?" He asked as an afterthought.

Steve frowned, lifting his hands to start to remove the Velcro straps holding the vest around Danny's chest. "Well, let's just get this off, just in case, ok Danno?" He asked in a calm voice. His fears were confirmed when he noticed a dark stain on the left side of Danny's chest, he looked at his back as well, finding an exit wound on Danny's side. "Damn Danno, you were hit!" He muttered while trying to get Danny to lie down. The nurse Steve had talked to before was coming closer with a wheelchair, but at the sight of Danny he rushed back inside in search for another gurney.

Danny tilted to the side, letting Steve take most of his weight. "No… Told you I was wearing a vest…" He mumbled.

Steve huffed in annoyance. "I'm afraid these were armor piercing rounds, buddy…" He muttered while applying pressure to the wounds.

Damn that hurt. "Oh… That explains it…" Danny mumbled before everything turned very dark and quiet all of a sudden.

* * *

The next time he was aware of his surroundings, Danny was lying in an uncomfortable mattress with a soft pillow under his head. He was warm, sleepy and comfortably numb. And for some reason he was glad to feel comfortably numb. He was starting to go back to sleep when some other noises and feelings filtered into his consciousness.

There was a soft beeping noise, there were things attached to his chest, pulling at the small hairs there, there was a bandage around his chest too, an itchy tube under his nose, something taped to his left hand and fingers wrapped around his right one.

There were soft voices talking to him, encouraging him to awake, but he was tired and sleepy, it had been a long day and he wanted to go back to sleep.

The voices got a little louder, and they started to squeeze his hand and shake him gently to get him awake. "Come on Danno, open your eyes. You've kept us waiting long enough!" Steve's annoying voice said.

Danny groaned in annoyance, which turned to discomfort when he felt a small stab of pain on his side. "Go 'way… 'm sleepin…" He mumbled, hoping to get them to back off.

He could hear Steve's chuckle and felt as he squeezed his hand again. "Come on Danno, why don't you open your eyes so the Doc can check you over? You can go back to sleep after that…"

He opened his eyes to a dimly lit room. Steve was looking at him with a tired smile and there was a pretty lady in scrubs giving him an assessing look. He turned to look at Steve again and was surprised to see him wearing scrubs as well. "You´re not a doctor… Please tell me that you didn't come anywhere near me with a scalpel or a needle or anything like that…" He said in a concerned mumble.

Steve chuckled in surprise, looking down at his clothes. "Don't worry Danno. My clothes got a bit dirty and a nice nurse let me use these for now…"

Danny nodded, turning his attention to the Doctor. "So… how bad was it?" He asked.

The doctor gave him a kind smile. "Danny, I'm Doctor Rocha, I was in charge of all the scalpels and needles that came near you in the OR… You had a gunshot wound on your upper left chest, and an exit wound a little higher on your back. You were very lucky, because the bullet went through your chest cavity without impacting directly any vital organs. Your lung was slightly lacerated, but it didn't cause any complications and should heal by itself. The bullet was high caliber though, so you lost a considerable amount of blood and it managed to break a couple of ribs, which should cause you some discomfort in the following days."

Danny blinked a couple of times. He only caught about half of what the doctor had said, but he figured Steve would tell him if he missed anything important. There was only one thing he needed to know. "When can I get out of here?"

The doctor chuckled, not looking surprised. "Well, we want to keep you in observation for at least 48 hours, to make sure that we didn't miss any slow bleeds and to monitor your lung function."

The doctor then proceeded to check his bandages and his vitals and left the room, promising to be back in the morning.

Once the doctor was gone, Danny turned to Steve. "Did you call Rachel? Does Grace know?"

Steve nodded, squeezing Danny's hand reassuringly. "Yes, I did, and yes, she does. She's coming over tomorrow, and they both know that you are doing fine.

Danny was relieved, but didn't understand why Steve looked like his birthday had come early. "What about the Congressman?" He asked, figuring that maybe that was it.

"He's recovering without any complications; he should be fine by the time of the elections…" He said, barely managing to keep a hold of a goofy smile.

Danny frowned at his partner, not having the patience to decipher the face he was wearing right now. "Ok… So why don't you just cut it out and tell me what the hell has you looking so happy when I'm here lying on my deathbed?"

Steve's smile got even bigger. "Well, while they were patching you up, they gave me your things, your badge, your wallet and your phone, and someone called… It was you lawyer…" He said, grinning like a loon.

Danny knew instinctively that Steve's smile meant that it was good news, but he couldn't help the anxiety and the fear that Steve's news brought. He hadn't noticed his harsh breathing or how much his heart was racing until Steve squeezed his hand roughly and caught his attention. "Damn it Danny… Calm down or I'm not telling you anything!" He said in a harsh whisper.

Danny did his best to calm his breathing, and after a couple of minutes Steve looked convinced enough to keep talking. "Alright, the lawyer said that the Judge had come to a decision, and that he was giving you and Rachel joint custody of Grace!" He said with a big smile on his face.

Danny frowned confusedly, not following much of the conversation. "What? What's that mean?"

Steve leaned forward, trying to catch Danny's exhausted eyes, trying to make him understand. "It means that you two have equal rights regarding where Grace lives. It means that she can't take her to Vegas without your consent. It means that she can't leave if you don't want her to…" He said in a gentle voice.

Danny's eye lit up. "She can't leave?" He said in an incredulous voice.

Steve's smile got even bigger, if possible. "No, she can't…"

Danny laughed one of his nervous giggles, lifting his hand to cover his injured side. "Damn babe, if I could lift my head from this damn pillow I'd give you the greatest hug in history!" He said with a happy, if half asleep, smile on his face.

"Well, lucky for you, I'm perfectly capable of giving you a hug, Danno…" Steve said, leaning forward to give his friend a gentle hug. When he straightened up again, he saw that Danny was barely able to keep his eyes open. "Alright, Danny, time to sleep."

Danny blinked tiredly, trying to fight the effects of the lovely drugs that were making him so sleepy. "Yeah, ok… but first I need you to promise me something…" He said, giving Steve a serious look. At his nod he continued. "I need you to promise to tell me all of this again when I next wake up… Because… 'cause I'm not sure I'm going to remember it…" He finished, stifling a yawn.

Steve chuckled, patting Danny's shoulder. "Don't worry Danno, I don't mind telling you these news as many times as you need…"

Danny smiled, finally closing his eyes. He lifted his hand to pat Steve's but only made it halfway through. "Thanks babe…" He said with a small smile on his face, realizing that things were not that bad after all.

* * *

The End

* * *

A/N: Well, I kept waiting for Wo Fat to aim to either Steve or Danny, so this came out... Now that I think about it, someone should write a story where Steve's the one getting hurt, and the chopper goes down, and all the whump that involves... *evil laugh*

Anyways, I'd really love to hear what you think of this one!

Thank you for reading!


	8. Role Reversal

A/N: This chapter is inspired on Episode 3x22, so it probably has some spoilers.

* * *

**Role Reversal  
**

* * *

It was unusual for Steve, Kono and Chin to handle the paperwork and booking of their suspects, but after this particular case, they had all agreed to allow Danny some space.

After they made sure that Ella was safe and sound and back in her parents' arms, what was left of their team headed to HQ to make sure that all the t's were crossed and all the i's were dotted. They would make sure that the Becketts paid for their crimes and would look through Helen Cantera's records, to confirm that no other children had been taken for the same reasons.

Steve was planning on pulling an all nighter, wanting to take a good look at Cantera's financial records, but his plans were interrupted around 9 PM by a phone call. He a looked bit confused at the unfamiliar number, but decided he could use a distraction so he took the call. "McGarret."

The voice at the other side of the line sounded familiar. "Steve? This is Tim Gilbert…"

Steve raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Tim… hello! What can I do for you?"

"Well, it's not exactly something you can do for me…" Tim said, sounding concerned. "I was on the way to the Morris' home, to offer what support I could, but a when I was getting there I saw Danny driving away like a bat out of hell. I thought something might have happened, so I followed him…"

Steve frowned, standing up from his desk and gathering his keys and wallet. "Yeah, he said he found something that Amanda's parents would like to have… Do you still have eyes on him?" He asked while moving towards the door.

Tim breathed a worried sigh. "Well, I guess you could say that. I followed him to a liquor store, and unless he owns some kind of Irish pub, I'm afraid he's getting far too much booze…" He paused, not sure if he was sticking his nose where it didn't belong. "He doesn't look good, Steve…"

Steve had moved to the smart table, pulling up the GPS tracking program. He located Danny's phone and the Camaro's location, and was somewhat relieved that he was a couple of blocks away from his apartment. "This case hit him hard, Tim. His daughter was taken last year…"

He could hear Tim sighing sadly on the other side of the line. "Did he get her back?" He asked, dreading the answer.

Steve smiled sadly. "Yes, he got her back and she's perfectly fine now…"

"I'm happy to hear it…" Tim said with a relieved sigh. "Do you want me to stick around? Keep an eye on where he's going?" He asked Steve.

Steve smiled, waving goodbye to Chin and Kono. "Don't worry about it Tim. I think I know where Danny's going. Thank you for the heads up!"

"I'm happy to help!" Tim said, before cutting the call.

* * *

Steve drove as fast as he could without actually using the police lights and was surprised to reach Danny's place before the Camaro got there. He checked his phone and saw that Danny was on his way, but apparently he had taken some time at the liquor store.

When Danny parked the car and spotted Steve, he got out with a frown on his face. "Is something wrong? Did you hear back from Ella?" He asked Steve.

Steve shook his head. "No, everything is fine. Duke called to say that they had released Ella and she had gone home with a clean bill of health…" He said with a smile.

The frown didn't leave Danny's face. "Clean bill of health? That is if you don't count all the therapy that she's going to need…" He said sadly. "So if nothing's happened, then what are you doing here?" He asked Steve, while locking the car and moving towards his door.

Steve didn't follow, moving instead towards the Camaro. "Aren't you going to bring your shopping inside?" He asked, while using his own key to open the car. He was surprised to find three six packs of beer and two bottles of bourbon.

Danny's shoulders slumped, but he didn't back down. "Well, I thought you'd make yourself useful for once…" He said, turning to open his door and moving inside.

Steve picked up the bags and entered Danny's place. He found the shorter man slumped on the couch, staring at a picture of Grace. He moved to sit next to Danny, leaving a beer for him over the coffee table and taking one for himself. "Did you stop by to tell her goodnight?" He asked, nodding at the picture.

Danny shook his head. "Nope… I already worried her enough by showing up at her cheerleading practice and hanging onto her like an octopus…" He said, leaving the photo on the table and reaching for the beer bottle. "I went to see Amanda's parents… She wrote a journal while she was in there, and I thought that they would want to read it…" He finished, focusing his attention on the bottle in his hands.

"I'm sure it helped…" Steve said, looking at his partner.

Danny still hadn't taken a drink from his beer. "I just don't know how they do it…" He said in a hoarse voice.

Steve turned in his seat to face Danny. "Who?" He asked, trying to get his friend talking.

Danny shrugged, still looking down at his bottle. "Amanda's parents, Maile's parents… all of them… I don't know how they get up in the morning, I don't know how they are still breathing after… after losing their little girls…" He said, finally leaving the untouched bottle on the table and lifting his trembling hands to pass them through his hair.

Steve placed a comforting hand on Danny's shoulder and squeezed gently. "Well, Amanda's parents will have to find strength to go on, but the love that her little girl had for them will help them a lot. Maile's parents have found that strength in helping other families that are going through the same thing they've gone through, they are helping others so they don't have to grieve as they did… In fact, Tim's the one who called me to tell me that you were buying half of the booze in Oahu…"

Steve's affirmation finally got Danny to lift his bloodshot eyes to look at his partner. "He did? How?" He asked Steve.

"He saw you driving away from the Morris' home and decided to see if everything was alright… He was wondering why you were so affected… and I told him about Gracie… He was very happy to know that she's doing alright now…" Steve said with a smile.

Danny shook his head looking down at his knees. "You know, all I could think about after leaving the Morris' place was that nothing helps… I shot Rick and I beat the crap out of Ray Beckett, but none of those things helped! That son of a bitch took her and there was nothing I could do… And in the end I don't know if I can stop it from happening again…" He finished, lowering his head to rest it on his hands.

Steve lifted his arm and placed it over Danny's shoulders. "Hey Danno… Do you remember the first time we had a beer at my place? You told me that this was Grace's home, so your job was to keep it safe for her…" At Danny's nod, he continued. "Well, it looks like you're forgetting that you have a team now, so now you have Kono, Chin and myself to help you with that… I'm pretty sure that Max, Cath and even Kamekona are willing to help from time to time… Do you really think anyone would risk the Big Man's wrath by threatening Gracie?"

Danny shook his head, breathing a choked laugh. He unconsciously leaned closer to Steve, accepting his friend's comfort.

Steve squeezed Danny's shoulder. "You see? We've got your back, Danno… Your and Gracie's…" He said in a gentle voice.

"Thanks babe…" Danny said, lifting his hand to pat Steve's thigh.

"You're welcome, Danno…" Steve said, taking his bottle to clank it against Danny's.

Danny lifted the bottle but put it back down after knocking it against Steve's. "You'll have to drink for the both of us, babe… I'm not sure if I'd manage to keep it in right now…" He said with a shrug.

Steve understood Danny's reaction, so he didn't comment on it. The sight of Danny's torn and swollen knuckles, on the other hand, had him reaching for Danny's hands and lifting them to get a good look. "Danny, didn't you get the EMTs to look at these?" He asked his partner with a frown on his face.

"Well, it wasn't exactly an injury acquired in the line of duty…" Danny said with a shrug.

Steve stood up and moved to the bathroom, to look for anything that would help to treat Danny's hands. "Of course not, I'm sure you just tripped and fell on your way to the store!" He grumbled.

Danny just looked at Steve with a small smile on his face. "Sure… That's a good story…" He said.

Steve brought the supplies and placed them on the coffee table. Taking Danny's hand, he started cleaning it. "Sure, he says, like it's nothing… Next time you'll be getting shot and saying that's just a flesh wound!" Steve said.

Danny's silence was proof enough that the blond man was still shaken by the case and all the memories it brought back. But for once Steve didn't mind being the one to fill the silence. After all, he had learnt from the best.

* * *

The End

* * *

A/N: This one just bit me, so it had to be written right away. I'd love to hear what you think of it!


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